When Deshaun Watson threw for the first time in 7-on-7 periods since his November surgery, Amari Cooper, his No. 1 receiver, was not on hand to catch his passes. Cooper is holding out and faces substantial fines the longer he stays away from mandatory sessions and training camp. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Day 1 of Browns mandatory minicamp …
The serenity of a drama-free Browns spring season was broken by one of their quietest players.
Amari Cooper’s absence from mandatory minicamp spoke volumes.
In the last year of the contract the Browns inherited from Dallas when they traded for him in 2022, Cooper’s base salary of $20 million has sunk to 21st in the league among receivers.
Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson raised the bar to a record $35 million average per year (APY). Other receivers who’ve signed new deals this year include Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown ($32 million APY), Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million), Miami’s Jaylen Waddle ($28.25 million) and Houston’s Nico Collins ($24.2 million).
In March, the Browns traded for receiver Jerry Jeudy and then extended his contract three years at a $17.5 million APY.
The major difference is all those receivers are appreciably younger than Cooper, who turns 30 on June 17. A.J. Brown is 26; the others cited above all are 24 or 25.
So while the Browns have indicated a desire to extend Cooper – their clear-cut No. 1 receiver -- beyond this season, a natural hang-up in negotiations would be length of contract in addition to financial figures.
In two seasons with the Browns, Cooper has averaged 75 receptions for 1,205 yards and 7 touchdowns. Last season, Cooper earned a Pro Bowl berth for the fifth time in his career – and with his third team. He smashed the Browns’ single-game receiving yards record with a 265-yard day against Houston on Christmas Eve.
Phone and email messages sent to Chafie Fields, Coopers’ agent of record on the NFLPA Website, were not returned.
“I’ll really leave all of that between Amari and Amari’s agent, AB [Andrew Berry], and those type of conversations,” said coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski did indicate Cooper’s absence was not a surprise. “There has been dialogue,” the coach said.
Cooper’s unexcused absence results in automatic fines set forth in the league collective bargaining agreement. Players get docked $16,953 for missing the first day of mandatory minicamp, $33,908 for the second day, and $50,855 for the third day. That comes to $101,716 if Cooper stays out this week.
If his holdout extends into training camp, the fines are $50,000 per day – plus one week of his Paragraph 5 salary for each preseason game missed. One week of Cooper’s $20 million salary – the payouts are made on an 18-week schedule -- would amount to $1.1 million. The fines can’t be waived, per the CBA.
Deshaun Watson, who threw in competitive 7-on-7 periods for the first time since his November shoulder surgery, praised Cooper as “the best in the game.”
“He shows it each and every year. He showed it the last two years with different quarterbacks. So, I think you got to put him up there, if not the best,” Watson said.
Watson deftly avoided an awkward situation of taking sides in a contract dispute, however, with a diplomatic answer when asked about Cooper’s holdout.
“Amari is our brother, our teammate, we support him, and the decisions that he got to make for himself is on Amari,” Watson said. “But everyone in this locker room respects him and knows exactly what he’s about. And whenever he gets back, he’s going to be ready to go.”
Watson’s throwing extended
Watson reached a new milestone in his return from shoulder surgery by participating in a 7-on-7 throwing period for the first time.
“Just following the protocol, the process, the whole throwing program,” Watson said. “Everything’s been going pretty smooth. Taking it one day at a time, not trying to get ahead of myself. And I think I’m in the right position and I feel very comfortable.”
Prior to Tuesday, Watson had been on a twice-a-week throwing schedule to receivers on air, but without defenders. Stefanski said Watson won’t throw again until the final day of minicamp on Thursday.
Stefanski said the natural next step would be for Watson to throw in team (11-on-11) drills in training camp.
“I thought he looked good, made good decisions,” Stefanski said. “Again, you get mental reps when you’re back there and then it’s a little bit different when you’re taking the snap from the center or shotgun or under center, regardless. But I thought he did a nice job.”
For the record, in two OTA practices and one in minicamp open to media, I haven’t seen a quarterback take a live rep under center yet. Everything has been run out of shotgun.
Watson indicated every step of his ramp up is being prescribed by his surgeon and Browns doctors. He said he has “no idea” whether he’ll be cleared to see action in any preseason games.
Brownie bits
Watson laughed up a collision he had with tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden in David Njoku’s Celebrity Softball Game on Sunday, which resulted in Watson falling to the ground. “It’s all good … I was good,” he said …
One player taking advantage of extra reps all offseason as a result of Cooper’s holdout has been second-year receiver Cedric Tillman. “He’s been working really hard, and you can see it,” Watson said. “He’s been improving. He’s knowing what he has got to do on each and every rep. He can play different positions, he can run all the routes, he can catch the big boy balls, you can toss it up to him, and he can catch the tough ones and the easy ones. So, I think he’s going to be a great addition for this offense, and he’s going to help us out.” …
Other than Cooper, every other player was in attendance. Those who did not practice were Jeudy, offensive tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills, left guard Joel Bitonio, cornerback Cameron Mitchell, and receivers Jaelon Darden and James Proche …
When the Browns had a short period working on the new kickoff format, the lead returners were Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong, followed by Jamari Thrash and Ahmarean Brown, and then D’Onta Foreman and Elijah Moore. Stefanski joked that Myles Garrett raised his hand to volunteer for return duty …
The jokes continued when I asked if coaching consultant Mike Vrabel was subjected to fines for missing the first day of minicamp. “Yes, I’ll confirm that one. Vrabes is getting fined,” Stefanski said.